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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · tube · charge · capital · face · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. face — to confront
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — of law
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. charge — electricity
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — a price
  10. face — part of the head
  11. charge — in control
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. capital — a city
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com